


Midnight

by NervousAliceCurious



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Ice Cream, Obscure Character, fighting death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 12:00:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22395763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NervousAliceCurious/pseuds/NervousAliceCurious
Summary: When one is trying to sleep, one does not need to be disturbed by the Ice Cream man. Unless, of course, the Ice Cream man is more than he appears.Cw: Phys. wounds, abuse. Death. Hint of gore. Grief. Eating and/or eating ice cream.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	Midnight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> For you!

I was just minding my own business for once.

Can you believe it?

The **one** time-

…

When this ice cream car rolls up.

Its engine backfires TWICE.

While I’m trying to sleep.

I hang upside from the tree while the driver sets up his aluminum cones.

Which **rattle-**

Frowning, I hop down.

“Pardon me sir, but it’s quite late”.

“Oh?”

His wolfish eyes stare innocently.

“I hadn’t realized someone would be here so soon”.

“I’m a special case”.

And your **only** case at flat midnight-

“Would you like some vanilla chunks?”

“No, I’d like you to stop making such noise”.

“…”

He goes back to fiddling with his creams.

“…Are you going to camp out here all night?”

“Why yes, yes I am”.

Oh… **fun.**

“You won’t attract much customers that way”.

“Hmm…”

“But you never know”.

He turns around.

“Maybe. It’s what I’m hoping”.

Haha.

In his hands is a giant bucket of purple.

“Care to taste-test? It’s a new flavor”.

“Nooo, I’m fine~”

And not dumb~

“Are you sure? Black-raspberry swirl-“

“I’m **very** full at the moment”.

Sounds delicious.

Pfft.

“Alright then…”

He picks up a giant scooper.

My eyebrow raises to the heavens.

“What do you need that for?”

“Oh”.

He runs his finger along the edge.

“This?”

-Cue getting backhanded across the face.

*

Ow.

**Ow-**

That.

Hurt.

…

Heh.

It’s been a while since someone’s had the gall to harm me…

-And we have a bloody nose.

If the wetness in my nostrils is any indication.

It is immensely dark.

I can’t see two fingers in front of my face.

Ugh…

Alright…

Let’s get up.

-My head spins, and I nearly black out immediately from the rush.

No time to give in, however.

I’ll **never** give in.

I wipe the streams out of my eyes and feel for a door.

A hatch, a trap chute, anything that will lift, really.

Whatever will get me out of this mess the fastest.

I’m not fussy…

I don’t have my knives on me…nor my bombs.

Smart.

I’ll give him that much.

However.

He really should’ve known better.

My fingers scrape against ice.

There we go…

Long strip thins out to a corner-

I cleave it down with one strong kick!

Almost fall-

Wolfish hands try to hold me back.

I scoff.

I may be half out to space.

But I don’t intend to be stuck here any longer than I have to.

I push him off.

Try it, at any rate-

In the end, he’s still a fragile ice-cream man.

“What on earth did you think you could gain?”

He’s the one bleeding, now.

“…I knew who you were the minute you opened your mouth…”

“Yes?”

Please **do** go on…

“Michael the Ambiguous”.

“Nothing ‘ambiguous’ about it”.

“You would’ve gotten in my way”.

“And what ‘way’ would that have been?”

…He refuses to say.

Of **course** he does.

Fortunately-

There’s more than one ice cream chest aboard this truck.

-My stomach drops out.

“I have to eat somehow”.

This-

When-did…this…

“I am a wolf, after all”.

His neck snaps before I can stop myself.

As if I would even want to-

…

*

She deserves better.

Poor girl…

I lift her out of the box.

Can’t be more than five.

……My rage takes over-I stuff it in the back of my mind just as fast.

No time.

Death is most certainly on their way.

I sweep the body underneath my cloak.

Hammer space.

Heh.

Where did he put my things?

I overturn his ice creams until it looks like a rainbow vomited all over the place.

The violet one he was so adamant about, I dump onto his corpse.

I climb out the window, and narrowly avoid the twisting shadow.

I don’t know.

I don’t know if there is a method to fix this, or not.

There **should** be.

If there isn’t, I’ll **make** one.

It doesn’t take long for the shadow to come swooping to me.

“Michael…”

I speed up.

“Michael-“

Something catches around my foot, and I pitch headfirst into the bushes.

Because of course, I need to make my concussion worse.

-The furthest from my mind as I hurry to check if I’ve lost-

I haven’t.

Good.

“…You can’t hide her from me”.

“I’m not hiding anyone”.

“You are…”

“Don’t say that. Did you know he eats children?”

“I know everything anyway”.

They sigh.

“Don’t make this harder”.

“There’s no stolen bodies here”.

“There is-“

The knot holding my cloak in place is undone.

Disappears off of me with a whoosh-

“No-“

She didn’t slip, I’m glad-

“Kindly give that!”

It’s cold.

“Where-did you-put her-?”

“You didn’t ask to look through those pockets!!”

I grab the hood, and drag it out of their hands.

-Now, is when the mangled figure is revealed.

I **freeze.**

She hits the snow with a soft thump.

*

“……….”

“……….”

….That wasn’t supposed to happen.

At **all.**

“…”

They crouch, and pick her up.

“Wait!”

“It’s too late for that”.

“It is not!”

“It is”.

Black smoke…

“It is **not”.**

My arm clamps onto the child.

I have no plans to let. **Go.**

“Leave her”.

**“No”.**

“Michael”.

“You can’t. **Take her”.**

“Excuse me. I get that she died.

And right under your nose no less”.

J-just because you know everything-

“However”.

“However?”

“That doesn’t mean you are allowed to interfere with the natural processes of this world”.

“Natural?”

How is **this** natural?

“You may be Death, but you can **still** be hurt”.

“You mean like **you** are?”

“-That has nothing to do with this”.

I yank-

I don’t see it.

It still cracks me across the face.

My grip falters briefly-

I’m finding it difficult to stand.

My head spins…

I’m hanging on to empty air.

“You barely even knew her”.

-You have the **nerve** to speak to me.

I spit a mouthful of blood.

“Why do you care?”

Why?

“None of your business”.

“Just let her go”.

I scoff.

“…Even if you **could** bring her to life again, it wouldn’t miraculously clear the damage”.

“There must be ways that **do”.**

*

“Even if there were-“

“‘Even if there were’ what”.

“Even if there **was** a way. I couldn’t let you do it”.

“And why is that?”

“Because even if she came back, she’d still die at some point”.

“Better than dying now”.

“Her soul is already gone”.

“…”

“You really wish to force her from the Afterlife?”

“It hasn’t-been that long-“

**I met her personally.**

-!

“I meet them all. In the end”.

“What…did she…”

“You can hear her yourself. If you want”.

An outstretched hand.

Dare I-

It’s cold.

_‘I don’t know what happened. I was just eating ice cream. And then I was here’._

_‘…Was it good?’_

_‘…It was okay. It tasted purple’._

_‘That’s good…’_

_‘Can I go home?’_

_………………………………………………………._

_‘I don’t…think you want to go home’._

_‘How come?’_

_‘Well…’_

_Death leans on their scythe._

_‘Your body…kind-of quit’._

_‘What does that mean?’_

_‘It means…it didn’t want to work anymore’._

_‘Aw. That’s not fair. It could’ve asked, first’._

_‘Something…unexpected came up’._

_‘Like what?’_

_‘Life’._

_‘Oh’._

_She blinks._

_‘Do you think they’ll miss me?’_

_‘They will…’_

_‘Will they be sad?’_

_‘…They will…’_

_‘I don’t want anyone to be sad…’_

_‘It’s normal’._

_*_

_Normal?_

_This is **not** normal._

_*_

_‘Everyone’s sad when someone goes…it just happens’._

_‘Will they be okay without me?’_

_‘They will be…eventually’._

_*_

_What a lie._

_I’ve seen it all by now-_

  
_It’s a 50/50 chance._

_*_

_‘Do I have to go now?’_

_‘Yes’._

_‘Where?’_

_‘Just follow me…’_

_*_

_.............Is this…supposed to make me stop?_

_It’s not working, if so._

_Yet I’m not truly present here._

_They can’t hear me snarking, otherwise, I most likely would have been glared at by now._

_Or something…_

_Still._

_I do wonder if I can affect anything, at least._

_I try to touch her shoulder-_

_‘By the way. There’s someone who wants to see you’._

_‘Somebody?’_

_They turn to look at me._

_My hand successfully closes._

_‘I don’t know you’._

_She seems to flinch-_

_“I know, but I knew you…sort-of”._

_‘Are you a scary stranger?’_

_“No. I don’t-“_

_I don’t harm children._

_‘Why do you want to see me?’_

_She’s clinging on to their sleeve._

_“I could’ve saved you…”_

_It- **hurts.**_

_I could-_

_It does._

_‘Saved me from what?’_

_“…”_

_How do I-_

_“Someone…someone…killed you…”_

_‘Killed?’_

_Confusion._

_‘I don’t…get it’._

_“You shouldn’t have to leave so young”._

_‘It’s not my fault’._

_“That’s right…”_

_She starts to edge away from me._

_I…_

_“It’s not…”_

_‘Are you gonna be sad?’_

_…I can’t believe this._

_‘Please don’t be sad. You don’t know me anyway’._

_“What?”_

_She points at my face._

_?_

_I didn’t even notice._

_Purple tears on the ends of my gloves._

_“. . . But. I-“_

_‘Please?’_

_Those eyes-_

_I…don’t want-_

_..............................................._

_“…I **won’t** let this happen again”._

*

_Death smiles._

_Is it good enough for you yet?_

_‘Come on…it’s okay’._

_They disappear into a light that fries my nerves and finally-_

Knocks me out.

*

The sun’s up.

Decent hour to be buying ice cream.

Too bad it’s a crime scene.

Police tape swathes the area.

I wasn’t in time to witness the traumatic discovery.

Perhaps it’s just as well.

……….

…I went and made a promise.

I have to keep it…

Even if it changes me to the me I am afraid I will become.

**Author's Note:**

> Spot the Melanie Martinez reference.


End file.
